Stephan Black
February 26, 1957 - December 19, 2021
Dear friends,
Stephan Black, a beloved member of the Fellowship of Friends, completed his task at 2:05 a.m., December 19th, having had cancer.
Stephan was born on February 26, 1957, and was 64 on his last birthday. He joined the Fellowship in July of 1979. He moved to Apollo in 1981, then supported the Miami center for five years. He returned to Apollo in 1990 and lived here these last decades. Stephan’s work with real estate sales touched many students’ lives.
He supported the school and Robert steadily, and was a frequent guest at Galleria events. Stephan died peacefully at his home, surrounded by friends and family.
We thank thee.
The Elysian Society
Funeral Service Text: Stephan Black Funeral 2022-01
Stephan Black Mother Eulogy 01-16-2022
Death making me really undying,
The best of me then when no longer visible—
For toward that I have been incessantly preparing.
Walt Whitman
Hey, Stephan, we remember you often in yoga class, doing twists with bolsters – your favorite pose, doing balancing poses at the edge of the pool, enjoying being together. Happy travels dear friend.
I have lots of fond memories of Stephan, especially in Miami where Michael our son was born. He was a wonderful father to Michael and just loved kids’ energies. Now they are both gone. It’s surreal to me and difficult I have to say. However, I was touched by what Catherine Searle said about his voice. It was magical. Thank you Stephan for the moments of presence and depth which were both much appreciated by me.
Last month I opened the page for my mother, Rebecca McCarty. It was a bit surreal ~ to re-read the comment Stephan had left, knowing that he too had slipped this mortal coil .
My earliest memories of him where from when we lived in the Seattle Center Queen Anne Hill, I was 3 to 4 years old, so it is over 40 years that I had the pleasure of knowing him. None stand out above the rest, just a stead weaving in and out of each others lives ~
Thank you for the last reminder ~
“The impermanence of the body
Should give us great clarity,
Deepening the wonder in our senses and the eyes
Of this mysterious existence we share
And are surely just traveling through.”
~Daniel Landinsky
I have many fond memories of Stephan Black, mainly as a photographer – I have just a few of his prints that he gave me. He was always kind to me and a keen observer. I spent some time at the family home. I was close to his younger sister Sigrid in High School, and knew his brother Martin a bit through music as well. I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing so young. Blessings to all who knew and loved Stephan.
I’ll always remember Stephan for these words that he wrote once: “Just live in the present and the world will reveal itself to you.” He was an old friend that I dearly hoped that I would meet up with again. He gave beauty, wisdom, and kindness to the world and I will miss him.
Mi amigo del alma
Stephan was a son to Irene older brother to sister Sigrid and brother Martin. He was so proud to have been a father to MIchael. He was an incredible, talented photographer. No bird call would go unidentified when out on a walk with him, nature was his muse. As a young teenager he went door to door in our neighborhood trying to get enough signatures on a ballot to save Thortnon creek fro salmon spawning, unfortunately powerful developers won and paved over the source for a shopping mall. He would be glad to know it is recently being restored. Given the right motivation he could fix anything, as when roughhousing as kids inevitably something would get broken and needed to be fixed before our parents found out. I always looked up to my older brother and will miss him and the future opportunity to get to know each other better. May your sensitive deep thinking artistic soul find peace. Love you, Martin
As Stephan’s next-door neighbor, one of my strongest memories is of hearing him sing at the top of his voice while mowing his grass! He had a beautiful tenor voice and, while working on his bushes or cutting grass, would practice his part in whatever pieces the Apollo Chorus was preparing. We still hear him sing… and will continue to hear him!!